KOTA BARU: Kelantan police chief Datuk Muhamad Zaki Harun said the police was ready to work with the state Education Department to curb vaping among school students.
This this can be done via its public relations officers in the schools who can help them monitor the issue.
"We are open to discussing the issue with the department.
"We are ready if they want us to help them in tackling the problem. We already have public relations officers at almost all schools in the state to be our 'eyes and ears'," he said.
Zaki, however, said the usage of vape among schoolchildren in Kelantan was still under control.
The Education Ministry recently said it was considering a proposal to establish special regulations to curb vaping among students, which is currently a concerning issue.
Education director-general Azman Adnan, said the ministry will collaborate with the Health Ministry to ensure that the trend of students freely purchasing vape products can be addressed effectively.
On March 5, the Penang Consumers Association (CAP) reportedly revealed that about 15 female students in each school were found vaping, with three to four of them experiencing nicotine addiction.
CAP education officer NV Subbarow was reported to have said a survey by the association found that the use of vape and electronic cigarettes was very popular compared to before the Covid-19 pandemic period.
The number of users vaping and using electronic cigarettes was found to have increased threefold.